[Sicario]Benicio Del Toro talks about 'Sicario,' Emily Blunt and the drug wars

Benicio Del Toro talks about 'Sicario,' Emily Blunt and the drug wars

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Benicio Del Toro has been on both sides of the drug wars.

The talented actor has a long list of credits in drug-related films, including "Savages," "Escobar: Paradise Lost" and his Oscar-winning turn in Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic."

But he outdoes himself as a covert gun-for-hire in "Sicario." He is a mesmerizing presence.

Co-starring with Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, Del Toro is Alejandro, one of the "good guys." He brings a single-minded intensity to the character that builds slowly and menacingly over two action-packed hours.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve ("Prisoners"), "Sicario," Spanish for "hitman," lands in Cleveland theaters on Friday, Oct. 2. It grabs you from the first frame and never lets up.

Alejandro teams with a shady operator (Brolin) and an FBI agent (Blunt) to flush out a Mexican drug lord. The U.S.-Mexico border, literally and symbolically, also plays a key role.

Of course, Del Toro's resume reaches further than tough guys in druggie flicks. He has already crossed over into the Marvel universe, playing The Collector in last year's smash, "Guardians of the Galaxy." He has also generated galactic buzz of late for signing on to play a key role in "Star Wars: Episode VIII," due in 2017. Hero or villain? (He can't say.)

I caught up with Del Toro, 48, on the phone from Toronto, where he was attending the world premiere of "Sicario" at the Toronto International Film Festival.

What made you want to play Alejandro?

I have played many characters that have been involved with drugs or the war on drugs. This one was a little different, because his motivation, his engine, was revenge. And I had never played that.

When I met with the director, Denis [pronounced da-nee] Villeneuve, his enthusiasm and his vision made it easy to say yes. And, of course, the cast. And it was also a chance to work with [cinematographer] Roger Deakins. I have been a fan of his work, and it was cool to be in a movie that he shoots.

How do you build a character like this, someone who is so excruciatingly focused and fearless?

First of all, you try not to make a fool of yourself in front of the camera [he says, laughing]. That's always there. I did some research, speaking to some friends in the DEA and law enforcement, just trying to make sure that what is happening in the film is believable. Then I collaborated with Denis on the part. And this is definitely one of those characters where less is more. You try to keep it within those lines.

You have worked with Emily Blunt before (on "The Wolfman" in 2010), but you have some extremely intense scenes with her in "Sicario." What was that experience like?

Emily and Josh are actors that I admire and have worked with before. That makes it easy. When you work with an Emily Blunt, you want to be as prepared as you can, as coherent as you can be, and then you want to impress her.

Emily is a truth-seeker. If she doesn't understand something, she quickly speaks up, and I respect that a lot. And I am that way, too. You want to understand what you are doing, and sometimes it's not that clear. You need to be willing to raise your hand.

The drug wars are a very familiar theme, a tragedy for so many people. Any thoughts on what can be done in the real world?

It's a very complicated issue. I don't think there is any one answer, and I am not an expert by any means. One thought is legalizing drugs. But we know that all drugs are not the same. So that's complicated. Ruben Blades, the writer and actor, said that drugs are not only the problem of governments, or only of Mexico or the U.S; drugs are a problem of every Latin American, every American, a problem for the entire world.

Where do we go from here?

There is hope. If you look at Colombia, it had a problem similar to Mexico a few decades ago. But it's gotten better. Those kinds of improvements are worth exploring in order to find some answers.

(Just to lighten the mood, and to show hat he is aware of all things Cleveland, Del Toro ended the interview with a hopeful message of a different variety: "Go Cavaliers!")